title: Parenting stress and autism: the role of age, autism severity, quality of life and problem behaviour of children and adolescents with autism.
abstract: While stress is a common experience for parents caring for a child with a developmental disability, current measures fail to distinguish between general stress in parents and the demands of parenting and perceptions of parenting skills (parenting stress). This study examined differences in 'parenting stress' reported by parents of children with autism and typically developing children. This study examined the role of child characteristics (age, autism severity, child quality of life and problem behaviour) on parenting stress in 150 parents of cognitively able children and adolescents with autism. The results revealed that child hyperactivity was the only factor significantly related to parenting stress in parents of children with autism, overruling measures of autism severity and child quality of life. This finding indicates the significant influence of problematic behaviours on parenting demands and perceptions of parenting skills in parents of children with autism, over other child characteristics conceived as within the parent's control. Study implications for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: La Trobe University, Australia.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: McStay
authors.affiliation: La Trobe University, Australia.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dissanayake
authors.affiliation: VU University, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheeren
authors.affiliation: VU University, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hans M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Koot
authors.affiliation: VU University, the Netherlands University of Sydney, Australia sander.begeer@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sander
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Begeer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: age; autism; autism severity; parenting stress; problem behaviour; quality of life